SEVILLE, Spain—It felt like a Grand Slam final

SEVILLE, Spain—It felt like a Grand Slam final, not just the star-studded fourth rubber, but the whole tie. Like Centre Court on the last day of Wimbledon, there wasn’t an empty seat where fans could see the action in the massive, indoor/outdoor Estadio Olimpico on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But you’d be forgiven for thinking the passionate crowd was watching Real Madrid play Boca Juniors instead of Spain’s dynastic, deep squad against the hard-luck Argentineans, seeking their first Davis Cup after three prior failures.

It’s now four such shortcomings, after Juan Martin del Potro stumbled late in the fourth set Sunday against Rafael Nadal. The 23-year-old looked as if he lost a major final afterward, just like he did two days earlier against David Ferrer, who reacted like he won his first. And Nadal, owner of 10 Slams? Covered in clay after a celebratory collapse usually saved for Roland Garros, Rafa didn’t hide the fact that this was a necessary salve to cap a damaging season. “Today is one of the most emotional days of my career,” said Nadal. “After such a difficult year, this was a spectacular finale to the season. To win a final this way is very special.”

The source of Nadal’s frustration is Novak Djokovic, twice a conqueror on dirt in 2011, among other surfaces. With a chance to claim the Cup for his country, Nadal faced a taller version of the Serb in the first set—del Potro’s backhands were Djokovic-esque, the same punishing strikes that negated the Spaniard’s built-in clay-court advantage in the Madrid and Rome finals. Rafa’s forehand spin didn’t faze del Potro, either, recalling another recent Nadal nemesis and tower of power, Robin Soderling.

Argentina trailed the tie 2-1, but the pressure was squarely on Nadal. It came from the other side of the net; from the supporters treating this match like a local soccer derby (both sides spoke the same language, after all); from inside, after a season of struggle; and from his teammates watching courtside. Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, who fell in doubles, didn’t want to be one of the reasons Spain blew a 2-0 lead, and Ferrer, taxed from 11 months of play and a five-hour war on Friday, surely felt more comfortable on the sideline than the baseline.

Nadal’s eventual win, his second of the series, reminded us that as much as Davis Cup stresses the team, tennis itself rarely strays from its individualistic nature. Argentine captain Tito Vasquez’s strategy revolved around one man, Nadal, although we’ll never know what else he had in mind. Would David Nalbandian have faced Ferrer in the fifth rubber, or would he have stayed with the original plan of Juan Monaco? The decision would have taken form into account—and Nalbandian looked particularly sharp alongside Eduardo Schwank in Saturday’s doubles win—but simply put, Davis Cup tactics are about match-ups. They have to be, when a tie consists of just five matches and one player can earn more than half the total points required for victory.

But although an individual can greatly influence the outcome, the Davis Cup isn’t awarded to a single man. The winner is Spain, now for the third time in the last four years. During this run, three Spaniards have earned the Cup-winning point: Verdasco in 2008 (in Argentina), Lopez and Verdasco (in doubles) in 2009, and Nadal in 2011. “Today it was my turn to decide a final,” said Nadal at the post-match press conference. “I think we have deserved it.”

It’s an incredible statistic, a testament to the country’s abundance of athletic riches (Yannick Noah wasn’t available for comment) and dedication to the competition. The greedy question is, will Ferrer get his chance to clinch the Cup next year? The sensible question is, how long can this last? Who knows, but another defense will be difficult. Ferrer all but confirmed he’s done with Davis Cup, perhaps realizing that his window of winning tennis’ biggest singles titles is closing. “At the end of the day, I have been here for many years,” said Ferrer. “Personally we all look for our own calendar.”

Nadal, who only had the opportunity to eliminate Argentina thanks to Ferrer’s valiant effort on Friday, didn’t leave any doubt of his intentions. With a “very complex year” coming up, he won’t suit up for Spain in Davis Cup, instead focusing his patriotic efforts on the London Olympics. “Thank God Spain has a good level of players,” said Nadal, “and there are many good players that will replace us that play really high-level tennis.”

Removing Nadal and Ferrer from the equation would certainly improve Argentina’s chances of ending its ignominious streak, but there were positives to take away from its latest last-round loss—a definite turnaround from the setback to Spain in the 2008 final, despite an identical score—particularly the play of del Potro. If he remains healthy, it’s very easy to see him returning to the ATP’s A-list in 2012. But the Argentine understandably thought nothing of that after yet another crushing defeat. “I have just lost the final,” said del Potro. “The next year, it’s a long way away.”

Regardless of Rafa’s future, he came full circle by sealing Spain’s triumph in Seville, the city where he captured his first Davis Cup in 2004. He wore his sleeves on his knees back then, was unknown to all but hardcore U.S. tennis fans, and was a boy playing—and winning—a man’s game. Advertisements around Seville show this younger Nadal leaping into the air in celebration, looking not much older than countless children yelling his name in the stands today.

Once again, Seville watched Rafa steal the show. The kid is now a king—of clay; he hasn’t lost more than two matches on the surface in a year since 2004—and he defended his territory to more rousing ovations. Nadal is not all of Spain, but as Spanish captain Albert Costa aptly put it, “Rafa is Rafa”—he’s unquestionably the biggest part of the team. Argentina arguably put up a greater challenge to Nadal and Spain than expected, but its Davis Cup dreams are still just that, dreams. “We prepared for a very tough tie,” said Nalbandian, sitting next to a defeated del Potro at the presser. “Sometimes, unfortunately, the opponent is better and that’s the way it is.”